DALLAS, May 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gradalis, Inc. today announced the appointment of Sunil Joshi as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Joshi is a highly experienced Pharma/Biotech business leader bringing more than 25 years of life sciences management experience to the position.
“We are delighted to have Sunil join Gradalis as our leader during this exciting time for the company. Gradalis has embarked on a number of new exciting clinical initiatives exploring potential synergies between Vigil®, our personalized immuno-oncology platform, and a class of drugs called PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors,” said David Shanahan, co-founder and chairman of Gradalis. “Sunil is a remarkable leader whose drug development and commercialization expertise has resulted in significant value creation. I am confident Sunil will make a tremendous contribution to our growth strategy and will take Gradalis to the next level of success, continuing the clinical development and ultimately, commercialization of Vigil globally.”
Prior to joining Gradalis, Mr. Joshi was an Executive Team member and Vice President, Oncology Global Product Team Leader at Halozyme Therapeutics, a San Diego based biotechnology company focused on developing innovative therapies in oncology and commercializing technology designed to enhance the delivery of IV therapeutics. In his role, Mr. Joshi headed up the strategy team for Halozyme’s lead oncology investigational new drug PEGPH20, which recently entered into a Phase 3 clinical trial in metastatic pancreatic cancer. In addition, Mr. Joshi was instrumental in signing of the clinical collaboration agreement between Halozyme and Eisai Inc., as well as the partnership agreement with Ventana for development and commercialization of a companion diagnostic.
“I’m honored and grateful to the Gradalis board for the opportunity to lead this exceptional organization of dedicated and talented individuals,” said Mr. Joshi. “I am looking forward to working closely with the team to leverage the Vigil platform and bring about a true difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families.”
Prior to joining Halozyme, Mr. Joshi was the head of New Product Strategy & Commercial Assessments at Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Joshi began his career in life sciences at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company where he spent 21 years in various positions of increasing responsibility, ultimately becoming Head of the Oncology Business Unit in Intercontinental markets.
About Gradalis
Gradalis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Dallas, Texas that focuses on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of novel proprietary personalized immunotherapies to treat cancer using its Vigil technology platform. Gradalis operates a cGMP manufacturing facility in Carrolton, Texas. For more information about Gradalis, Inc. please visit www.gradalisinc.com.
CONTACT: Contact: Beth Kriegel Chief Financial Officer (214) 307-8203
